Welcome To Pleasantview
by DemonessoftheSire
Summary: There's always more than one path, but where does it end in a place where we can't always turn back the clock and choose the right one? This was the question without an answer. Sims 2, Pleasantview Fic. R
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Sims 2 or any of its characters! This is only for the fun of it.**

**Welcome to Pleasantview**

**Chapter 1**

"_So tell me-are you in? Many circumstances depend on this one decision, you know." I arrived just a little too late. Even that wasn't enough to be able to have a say in anything. I had no choice but to make my presence unknown and blend within the background as I listened carefully, attempting to make myself unseen. _

_My eyes wandered into the room as I made myself barely noticeable, revealing the bridge of my nose and up just to look at the scene. There were three men dressed in suits and hats with shades hiding their eyes sitting down with my father. I wondered if it was safe for him to be in a room alone with them. After all, he knew what they were, didn't he? Didn't he know that he was more than likely in danger?_

"_Of course we do care considering this decides what our plans are to be," chimed in another voice, "You're fortunate enough that we discussed-even mentioned the idea of meeting with you, the head of this town." I shifted a bit so I could easily make a sprint. My sister was right. There was a price to pay for eavesdropping._

"_I'm not sure what to say," I heard my Dad speak up, "You're right. This change will meddle with many lives, but will it be for the better?"_

_ That was more than enough for me to hear. The only thing left for me to do was go for my last option-my emergency plan. I did my best to creep away from the open doorway of the kitchen up the flight of stairs and then up the next. I raced towards the room in the back and turned on the computer. My body was shaking mildly with anticipation as I watched it load. I eagerly inserted a CD and waited just so I could press the button…_

…

Night hung over the town of the Pleasantview like a starving feline eying its prey carefully-a dark period of time when some would come out of their shells or remain inside, oblivious to the world. Normally, Alexander Goth would be one of those the hermits, but lately, that wasn't the case.

He knocked on the door of the Burb house and waited patiently until a girl that appeared his age opened the door for him. She had her brown hair tied with a large bow in an upper bun and was wearing a yellow dress.

"Alex?" she asked, surprised, "What are you doing here? Isn't it too late for you to be outside on your own? Your dad's gonna worry about you."

"Well, yes," he admitted right away, "But Dad can't find out if he's not home."

"He's out again?"

"He has been since I got home." Lucy sighed and reopened the door.

"And I'm guessing you're here for dinner?" she laughed, leading him inside the house.

"No, but now that you"-

"It's almost ready. Mom doesn't mind." Alex walked closely with her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah-it's just macaroni and cheese. She always makes it for four people-so there's enough for my Dad. He's coming home late again, so it's important he has something to eat." Alexander walked behind her and sat at the already set table just as Jennifer Burb began to serve the meal.

"Hello, Alexander. It's nice to see you again. Did you eat yet?"

"Hi Mrs. Burb and no, I haven't." She handed him a bowl and both children began eating once Jennifer sat with them at the table.

"Hey," the girl said suddenly, "Is he out with that blondie? They're still dating, right? Dina…something?" Jennifer stared at her daughter.

"Lucy, that's not polite to ask." She glanced back at Alexander. "I'm so sorry about that! I'm not sure why"-

"But isn't it true?" Lucy cut in.

"It's fine, really! I'm used to it by now," said Alexander.

"That's good. I'm sure that sort of thing must be very hard to adjust to."

"But it doesn't mean I like it," he added.

And he stayed with them for a couple of hours so or more until Jennifer offered to drive him home. Lucy had already unexpectedly fallen asleep by this time. She thought that Mortimer would at least be home by time she pulled over by the sidewalk of the Goths, but all the lights in the house were still off. Mortimer Goth had yet to return.

…

Over by the Pleasant household, Lilith was walking by yet another interesting and loud conversation between her parents in the living room.

"Daniel," she heard her mother begin with a firm tone, "Did you tend to the garden like I asked you to?" Lilith looked back at them worriedly. _'Oh man, she's already pulling the "don't bullshit me" act. This isn't good.'_

"Well… no. I was busy again today. You understand, right Mary?"

"Oh yeah," she replied nonchalantly, "Especially since you can't help out even the tiniest bit? You know very well work takes only so much energy out of me, but I still manage to do what I can at home."

"And that's why we have a maid! That's why we agreed on hiring Kaylynn." The phone rang just in time. Lilith made a dash for it.

"Hello?"

_"Lilith, wanna go out tonight? I really gotta get out of here." _Lilith frowned. Well, so much for a proper greeting-especially by someone who called them self your boyfriend.

"Yeah, okay," she answered him, "1 AM at our usual spot, right?"

"**Okay, then why don't we get a gardener like I suggested several times already?"** Now that she thought about, Lilith needed to get out of here too. _'They're so loud…'_

_ "Yeah, that sounds good. Just remember to pick me up. It's not fun to walk alone at night when you have no car. See ya later."_

"Okay. Love you too."

"Where do you think you're going?" Lilith slammed the phone back onto the receiver. At least her parents didn't hear it. Did they even hear the phone ring?

**"Why do you want a gardener? That's way too much money!"**

"Ange!" she gasped, "W-were you…?" The look on her twin's face told her everything. "Come on, Ange! Don't tell Mom and Dad! I'll only be a couple of hours!" Angela rested her posture.

"Okay, fine, but just this one time." Lilith was ready to pull her sister into a hug when Angela leaned closer towards her. "But only if you cover for me next time I go out. Mom and Dad have been driving me up the freaking wall with their arguing too."

**"Ugh! You always say that!" **The twins looked at each other and crept up the stairs to avoid listening to anymore of the conversation and prepare the best act only the two of them could pull off together.

…

Meanwhile, at the infamous condo owned by the Caliente twin sisters, a certain couple were out finishing up they called their "goodnight" kiss.

"Tonight was great, Morty," Dina said sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him as she was still held in his embrace, "Do you think we can do it again tomorrow?" Mortimer Goth pulled away from her slowly and nodded.

"I don't see why not. Give me a call, okay?" As "Morty" walked his date back to their front steps, Dina couldn't help but notice something glowing from their rooftop. _'Oh God. Again they're here?_' She looked at it in disgust until Mortimer noticed her.

"Something wrong, Dina?"

"Nah," she answered before pecking him on the lips once again, "I'll see you later." Once Mortimer started walking away, she headed up two flights of stairs. Just as she suspected, there were two people looking all cuddly-cuddly the way they were wrapped around each other in the hot tub-one of the two who happened to be no other than the very well known Don Lothario.

"Time's up. Get out." The order sounded more like a threat, but the couple had no choice but to obey and got out. Dina looked at the man skeptically. How typical of him it was to wear attention seeking neon green swim shorts that were way too short. Don took note of this and drew close to Dina.

"I must say, you look wonderful tonight," he said with a slight purr in his voice. His date already seemed displeased with the compliment. _Perfect._

"Why thank you." Her sister Nina turned towards Don and placed her arms around him again.

"Let's hang out tomorrow again, if you're free," she said before sharing one last kiss with him. She began to strut downstairs. "Dina, I'm going to bed now. See you in the morning." Dina crossed her arms and waited in the midst of the silence. She was alone. With _him_.

"What's the matter, Dina?" he finally spoke up, much to her dismay, "Are you already admitting to jealousy?" Dina raised an eyebrow.

"Oh please! I just wish you could've taken her back to_ your_ place." Don laughed lightly at this and pulled her closer.

"Of course you do," he said in a low whisper, "That's why we're just friends, right?" At first, Dina was ready to protest again, but Don already tugged her into a lip lock before she could resist. She hated to admit it, but he really knew how to kiss.

Once Don drew away from her, she waited until he left the rooftop and smiled to herself.

_'He can be pretty funny when he's serious.'_

…

The Dreamer family was quiet for a while. The elder Dreamer, Darren, was upstairs working with his easel while his son, Dirk, was only the lower floor-until he decided to go check up on his father. For some reason, Dirk was easily bothered by his silence. He'd been on his case, lately. Sheesh. Painting took hours of peace and quiet to master. Didn't he know? Of course he didn't. That's why he had to be bothered every now and then.

But that was fine. Dirk would usually glance at him to make sure he was "fine" and went back downstairs to finish his work and checked up on him again before going to bed. As long as Darren was left alone to work, he didn't mind. After all, he didn't want to be disturbed-not when he was so close to finishing his masterpiece.

And he knew it was brilliant. It took him days-weeks to do since he was also finishing up other paintings to be sold. It was so brilliant that he didn't even want to sell it. He wanted to keep it-to treasure it for the rest of his life just like the memories of-

"Dad, we need to talk." Darren didn't stop. He'd just let him talk on. "It's been about a year now. You have to move on." The brush was a bit unsteady in his hand as he moved it across the board. He flashed a smile and gritted his teeth to ease the painful feeling he had inside.

"I'm not sure what you're talking back." It was a lie-an obvious one. "I'm just fine."

"Okay then," Dirk breathed in, "When was the last time you actually went outside other than to shop for what we need at home and sit in the backyard?" Weren't those his only purposes for crawling out of his hermit shell? "When was the last time you talked to someone other than me?" Who said he had to talk to anyone-rather than every person he saw? Dirk was enough company.

"Dad, this is serious!" he yelled, "This is even worse than when Mom fell ill and died! I know it was hard time for you, but this now… I know you miss her too and it's made things even worse for you than before, but you're so delusional it's not even funny in the slightest bit! You're going to remain stuck in misery."

Darren didn't say anything. Those words hit him right on the dartboard that was his mind, but he refused to make any sort of reply.

"…Just forget what I said! You won't even listen to me." He stomped down the stairs angrily, but Darren still remained in his place as he stroked the dark colors over again and closed off all attention to everything that wasn't his work of art. He smiled sadly at his painting.

"Ah, I really can't get over you, can I?"

Dirk meanwhile was making other plans.

_ "Hello?"_

"Lilith, wanna go out tonight? I really gotta get out of here."

_ "Yeah, okay. 1 AM at our usual spot, right?"_ Was that yelling he heard in the background? Oh well. He'd question later.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Just remember to pick me up. It's not fun to walk alone at night when you have no car. See ya later."

_ "Okay. Love you too."_ Dirk hung up and sat down, waiting.

By the time 1 AM rolled around, Dirk was tempted to go back upstairs quickly, but decided against it. He would be fine without him for a little bit, right?

The Pleasant convertible was already parked at the front of the house. There was no turning back now. Dirk slowly opened the door and tip toed down the stairs, and got into the car with Lilith.

"Wow, you weren't kidding," said Lilith, "You look like you really do need to get out of here."

"Yeah," Dirk sighed, "What can I say?" They drove off into the night together-a couple of teenagers who needed to escape their own realities for even a moment.

Darren at the moment had finally finished his portrait. He was proud of himself, but at the same time overwhelmed by the sadness brought on from the nostalgia of the painting. It was a tall woman dressed in black with long pigtails on both sides of her head. She had signature round glasses and the posture of an elegant, quiet woman.

"Oh Cassandra," he murmured, "What happened to you? I hope you're okay… wherever you are."

…

During this time, Brandi Broke had just received a phone call. It was a type of call that no parent of a child wished to hear or wanted to know about.

"Are you sure that's my son?" she asked.

_"Very. I know it's hard for you right now and you have many problems that have yet to be put behind you and I know this is something every mother doesn't want to believe about their child, but I'm sure you can at least straighten this out."_

"But I'm not sure what's wrong with him or what to do with him. He's never acted like this before."

_"Until that incident back in the spring, that is."_ Both remained silent on their lines. _"And of course, we still can't have him like this. He can't act like this. He doesn't have a right to take out his stress on the other children. It's just going to make him feel even worse emotionally and mentally and possibly physically if he doesn't stop."_

"Yes, I know. I'll go talk to him now… Thank you for letting me now." Brandi hung up and took in a deep breath before calmly walking into the next room. There the second youngest son was, playing with the pinball machine just before bed. Brandi cleared her throat.

"I just got a call from the school," she spoke over the noise, "Again." He already looked guilty about this, but he continued to play the game. "Beau, what have I told you? You know better than this! I know you do!"

And that was it. Beau shut off the game and turned around to face his mother. "Tomorrow," she added sternly, "I expect you to give an apology to him."

"But Mom, you don't understand!" he whined. Brandi placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"He started it, Mom! He really did! Why should I have to apologize to him?"

"Because it's right," she lectured, "Maybe he did start it, but it was wrong of you to attack him like that." The sound of a cry from the living room signaled Brandi that she had to leave.

"Now, I want you to go to bed, okay?" She leaned forward and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Beau. Remember what I said." Once Brandi left and closed the door behind her, Beau rolled his eyes.

"As if."

**Note:**** Now, something to know about this story for those who know is that this was originally a sim series on YouTube. Due to technical difficulties, I resorted to writing the story on . It's probably gonna take a little while longer before I get beyond episode 5, where I had to stop, but otherwise, this gives me a chance to fix the dialogue and possibly any details. **_**Everything is basically the same in which the only important details are the ones that were in the video originally.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to Pleasantview**

**Chapter 2**

_One night, when I opened my eyes, all I could see were bright, blue rays of light coming from the window. I stretched my legs forward and threw off the covers and rubbed my eyes. It had to have been at least midnight. I got up from bed and walked out of the room to get my sister._

_Apparently the same thing woke her up as well. She was already walking in the hallway. Her engagement ring barely shone with the blinding lights. She had her glasses off, but she was still able to make out my presence like I did and rushed over to me._

"_So I'm guessing it got you up too?" _

"_What is 'it' exactly?" I asked her. _

"_I'm not sure, but I know that"- A noise echoed from the source. The source must not have been too far away, but it was so eerie like a siren made of simultaneous people scratching the chalk board. I wanted to scream because it was so painful even when Cassandra and I cupped our ears. _

"_W-We have to check up on Dad!" I choked out. We raced to Dad's room to open the door and there he was outside, watching the outside from the window. At least he was alright._

"_Dad! Are you okay?" He didn't respond to me. Cassandra and I got a closer look at him. She shook him gently by the shoulders._

"_Dad? What's wrong?" He still wouldn't say anything, but once we noticed that half the bed side was unmade, we realized something or someone, for this matter, was missing._

_ "Where's Mom?"_

…

"I'll see you later, okay?" Lilith kissed Dirk quickly on the lips and dropped him off a block away from his house.

"Yeah, you too." Dirk opened the car door and began walking briskly, yet cautiously down the sidewalk as he made his way towards the house. He glanced at his watch.

_'4 AM already?_' he thought, _'I feel exhausted, but that was worth it.'_ The lights weren't on. This was a good sign. _'I wonder if Dad's up. Will he hear me? At least my bedroom's downstairs and his is upstairs.'_ He made his way inside and shut the door behind him. _'It's not like he'd bother to do anything anyway… that is unless the police drove me back home with my wrists handcuffed.'_

He was about to make a sharp turn towards his room, but a reminder went off in his mind. He slowly went up the stairs and looked into his father's room. There he was, fast asleep much to Dirk's relief.

_'And he's actually sleeping tonight. That's good.' _He quickly turned around to go back downstairs and into his room where he slept a remainder of the hours before sunrise.

…

Lilith parked the car and closed the door as gently as she could while making sure it closed correctly. The house was completely dark. She couldn't hold back a smile of relief. She made her way towards the front door.

'Man that was fun! If only my eyes didn't hurt so much.' She opened the door and stepped inside. 'Eh, I'll just sleep it off in Chemistry. It's not like we actually do anything, but I still wish we got out a little earlier. Dirk wanted to say for whatever reason. I don't know-it's probably his Dad.'

When Lilith turned around slowly after closing the door behind her slowly, she instantly regretted not having a bedroom downstairs like her parents did.

Or maybe it was just the fact that she had a goody two shoes twin sister. Surprisingly enough, when she turned around, she was the only one in the room. She expected her parents to sit there with their arms folded and stare at her until she'd burn to death from the way their eyes would look at her.

But this time, that wasn't the case. Lilith stood still. It was absolutely silent. After a moment, she finally went up the stairs and into her room and quickly undressed (she didn't even feel like washing off her makeup), put on her pajamas and lifted the covers, then placed them over her head once she fell asleep. For once, Angela had kept her promise.

…

The Sun was shining that morning. Affairs were left unquestioned and put behind by the children at school, although Mary-Sue seemed suspicious of Lilith the way she nearly overslept and nearly missed the bus and Mortimer and Jennifer merely said to each other friendly greetings and goodbyes.

Due to the size of the Pleasantview district, everyone went to the same school from Kindergarten up until graduating high school, so it was pretty obvious that everyone had knew people in their classes for years. Unfortunately, this also meant having to stay in the same school with enemies for many years.

Yet, Alexander still refused to go to public school or-god forbid-a far away all boys' school like Mortimer had suggested several times to him. But no, Alexander couldn't just leave Lucy behind like that. As far as he knew, she didn't have any other friends except for him and the same went for Alexander.

Besides, the school provided him with good education as far he was concerned-perhaps not the royal education others wanted and expected him to have, but this was a good school with good teachers and good students.

Well, _most_ of them were good. There was one problem-one person in particular who seemed to enjoy getting on his nerves and Lucy's for whatever accusations that person thought in mind was appropriate to well, accuse him of.

"Ugh, here he comes again," Alex muttered to Lucy, now slowly lowering his altitude on the swing set. "What do you think he wants this time?" Lucy slowed down with him.

"I don't know. I don't get what his problem is either." They both hit the ground and got off the swings, staying close together as they prepared for an attack.

Alexander could tell that the other classmates were watching this from a distance-even the older kids who were separated from the Elementary kids by a glass window in the cafeteria. It was recess. What were they doing wasting their precious time before going back in the classroom watching what was happening all the way on the other side of the school backyard? Of course more than likely, they were very well aware of the treatment he and Lucy had been getting, but he ignored it and looked at his perpetrator.

"What do you want now, Beau?" Beau made a sour face at him and grabbed onto Alex's coat, pulling him closer.

"You got me in trouble yesterday!"

"Yeah, I did- So what?" Alexander smacked away his hand and freed himself. "_You're _the one that started it!" Now everyone completely stopped what they were doing and rushed over.

"C'mon, Alex!" Lucy shouted over the crowd, "Tell him off!" Alexander glanced at his friend irritably. The only thing that managed to encourage was whispering and nervous looking around from the others. Beau seemed to ignore it easily.

"I started it?" he asked, carrying on as he drew his face closer to his opponent's, "You're the one that's lying!"

"I didn't lie about anything!" The kids heard more pairs of running feet.

"Are you guys fighting again?" Alexander turned around and instantly recognized the Pleasant twins-notably Lilith lecturing him and Beau from behind. "Beau, if you get in trouble for this again, I swear to God if you cry"-

"But he's lying!" Beau protested, shoving away Alexander and pointing to him, "He _does_ know about my brother! He does!"

"That's enough." A voice with a softer tone, yet harder edge rang in Alexander's ears. It was Angela but unlike her sister for once was looking very serious and extremely ticked. "You know you're not supposed to talk about that." Beau ignored that as well.

"How can he not know? He has to know something from his precious daddy!"

"We don't know that for sure!"

"We will when he tells us!" By now, Angela had been looking even more flustered than before.

"Are you even listening to me?" she raised her voice.

"And if he doesn't tell us, I'll force him!"

"Beau?"

"And if he still doesn't talk, I'll"-

"BEAU!"

"WHAT?" All it took was one swift motion of Angela's hand against the side of his face to completely create a sudden and hushed mood until Beau looked back at Angela, his eyes quickly burning with tears. "Oww… What was that for?"

"It was the only way to get you to shut up for a minute," Angela hissed. Lilith quickly grabbed Angela's arm and pulled her to the side.

"Angela, what are you doing? You can't hit him like that!" she yelled.

"And who the hell do you think you are trying to tell me what to do?"

"Me? You're the one overreacting here, Ange!"

"You're both acting stupid," Lucy cut in, "What does it matter?" The twins put the conversation behind them.

"Lucy, he's your friend, isn't he? Why aren't you doing anything?"

"Why are you at the playground? You'll get in trouble if you're caught."

"…Don't change the subject!"

From far away, Dirk was slowly about to descend into the crowd until it almost completely dissolved. _'Looks like I missed the show.'_ He was ready to turn back to the cafeteria when he noticed Beau run by in a mess of tears.

"Hey, Beau?" The younger boy turned to him slowly. "What's wrong?" Judging by the mark on the side of his face, Dirk recalled the incident from the day before. "Another fight with Alex again?" Beau wiped his eyes.

"Y-Yeah," he sniffled, "He didn't tell me anything… I know he's hiding something!" Another bell rang in Dirk's mind.

"I think I know what you're talking about… I know just as much as you do. If only I could tell you more." Dirk rested one arm around the boy's neck and patted his head gently. "I know you miss Dustin a lot, but just going around and accusing people of being the reason why he ran away isn't going to make him come back that easily."

"I know, but I just wish I knew where he was and if he's okay."

"Dustin's a strong boy. I think he can manage." After a brief moment of silence, Beau broke away from Dirk.

"Hey, do you wanna come over later?" he asked and then added quickly, "If you want to, you can. Mom's been looking for someone to watch Dylan and I. She finally got a new job, so she needs help!" Dirk nodded.

"I don't see why not. I'll be there." The bell rang, signaling everyone to get going back to their classes. "I'll see you later!"

"You too!"

Beau couldn't make sense of this feeling, but for once since earlier that year, he felt a sensation of happiness.

…

"That…was amazing." Two love birds sat side by side next to each other in bed breathing heavily as they looked up at the ceiling as if it were an open sky.

"I had to repay you in some way," said Daniel, "You took care of the garden. Mary's been a pain about that." Kaylynn Langerak cuddled against Daniel and rubbed circles onto his chest with her index finger.

"I do like getting an extra tip, of course," she giggled, leaning over to kiss him. The familiar honk of the school bus completely put an end to their continuation.

"The kids!" Daniel nearly jumped out of bed and grasped Kaylynn's hand, dragging her to the bathroom. "We can't be seen like this!" He opened the door and pushed Kaylynn inside.

"Daniel, what are you"-

"Sorry, it's only until I can get you out of here!" He shut the door and sighed.

"Dad?"

Daniel whipped his head around. "Oh, Angela! Good to see you!" Angela smiled and shoved a paper in his face.

"Straight As again, Dad!"

"Y-Yeah!" he said nervously, "V-Very good job! You work so hard, honey!" Angela cocked her head to side and looked at him strangely.

"Hey, Dad…"

"What is it?"

"Why are you only in your underwear?"

"It's my day off," he answered, then added without any thought, "A guy can relax without really wearing any clothes, right? Now go get your sister."

Lilith meanwhile pulled out her report card and rolled her eyes. At least she didn't fail anything. The grades were just decent otherwise. She stepped off the bus and noticed a van parked along their sidewalk.

_ 'Is she still here? Humph. As if it takes that long to wash the dishes and make the beds…'_ "Lil," a voice interrupted her thoughts, "We need to talk."

Lilith stopped before setting foot into the house. "Is it about earlier? Look, sometimes I wanna smack that kid across the face too, but"-

"No, it's not that! I think that," she paused and then said in a low whisper, "I think that Dad's cheating on Mom." Lilith burst out into laughter. Angela crossed her arms skeptically. "There's nothing funny about that!"

"Pfft. It's funny that you're telling me this now."

"But I'm being serious! Dad was undressed and when I asked him why, he said he was relaxing-and I think I heard something in the bathroom"-

"Listen, Sherlock," Lilith cut in, "Of course something's up and it's not gonna turn out well but I think we gotta stay out of this one for now."

"Lilith…"

"For now." Angela hung her head in defeat.

"Fine…"

"Good. Now if you excuse me, I need to dispose of the evidence." Lilith held up her report card, which ended up in the trash can just seconds and then headed up to her room.

…

Alexander slowly raised his head from the top of the couch and scanned his horizon. There seemed to be nobody in sight. He shifted his glasses and looked around slowly. Nope. There was still no one around.

He smiled to himself and sank back down onto the couch. Evil had yet again been stopped momentarily thanks to the trusty Alexander Goth! Another job well done! Just as was ready to get off the couch to celebrate, something was pressed against the side of his temple.

"This town ain't big enough for the two of us!" Alex stood frozen in place as he felt the hot breaths hitting against his ear. "So, what do you say sheriff? Either you give up now or you give up your life!" On the inside, he panicked momentarily, but finally managed to think of his next move.

"You're right. This town isn't big enough…" He stood up from the couch and pulled the criminal onto the seat and ran away. "For you, that is!"

"Oh yeah? At least I have bullets!" Alexander gasped.

"No way…you didn't! You couldn't have!"

"But I did! You need to be more careful, Sheriff Goth!"

"Very good, Lucy, very clever indeed," Alexander threw his hand forward, aiming his index finger directly at Lucy. "But not clever enough! You didn't reach for my other back pocket!" Lucy aimed her own finger at Alex.

"That still doesn't mean I'm not gonna shoot." They both paused their game once they heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"I thought your mom was getting you at 9. It's only 8."

"Nah, maybe your dad decided to come home early for once."

And Lucy was right. Out on the front porch, Mortimer Goth was leading Dina towards the inside of the manor.

"Tonight was great, Morty!"

"I figured you'd like that resteraunt."

"You're right! I did. It was very delicious." Mortimer stopped walking, but held onto Dina's hand, urging her to stop as well.

"Dina," he began, "There's something I want to ask you." He gripped Dina's hand tighter and got down on one knee. Dina felt her insides turn cold. _'Oh no… Don't tell me!'_

"Dina Goth, I know I've got more years than you and I know it's been three years since Bella disappeared, but I'm still confident that you would make me a happy man and I'm confident I can make you happy since your husband died around the same time."

"Yeah…" Dina frowned, "What's your question again?"

"I guess what I'm trying to ask is," Mortimer pulled out a box and opened it, revealing a diamond ring, "Will you marry me?" _'Oh God, this can't be happening!'_

"W-Wow, Mortimer, I-I-no-no way! I don't think I could take that offer!" Dina took a deep breath, "You're…great to be around and all, but I can't!" Mortimer wrapped his arms around her dejectedly.

"What a shame…" He kissed her on the cheek and headed inside. "I'll give you tomorrow to think about it." As he wordlessly went upstairs, Alexander and Lucy couldn't help but notice.

"Do you think it has to do with the blonde lady?" Alexander guessed the same.

…

Dirk nervously edged towards the Broke trailer. What was he doing? He never baby sat or even stepped foot in their trailer. Worst of all, Lilith was more than likely going to be pissed off with him is this became a daily occurrence.

"Oh, Dirk! There you are!" Brandi greeted him cheerfully, "I can't thank you enough for volunteering! I hope Beau won't be too much trouble for you. He's on the chair watching TV and Dylan's in the crib. My number is on the table in case of any emergency."

"Okay, I got it. Good luck with work!" Dirk closed the door and stood in front of Beau, who was trying to watch what was on the screen.

"Eh? Dirk, this is the best part!"

"How about we do something together? We can watch TV later." Beau grumbled something and sat back against his chair.

"Go change Dylan's diaper first. The smell's giving me a headache."

Dirk obeyed, already picking up how to change Dylan and placed him gently back in the crib.

"How old is Dylan?" Dirk asked.

"He'll be a year old in a month," Beau answered for him. Dirk sighed.

"It must be hard for you guys. I mean, first your father passes away and Dylan is born later on… And then your brother goes missing a year later."

"Yeah," said Beau, "But we manage. I just hope Mom can keep her job. Nobody else in the house makes money. That was how Dustin helped out." There was a brief silence between them until Beau spoke up. "I'm sorry for acting like a brat earlier. I just didn't want to be alone…"

"I'm fine with it, really. How often does she work anyway?"

"It's only weekdays with some hours longer than other days. She comes back before midnight."

"Okay, I think I can manage," said Dirk, now having Lilith come to mind, "But I can't babysit all the time, you know."

"That's okay as long as you can come sometime." Beau walked over to the counter and opened up a box. "Come on! Let's eat. Mom got us Chinese."

…

Dina had the lights dimmed as she knelt by her husband's urn, lost in thought. _'Oh Michael… you had more years that Morty did.' _She closed her eyes as soon as she felt tears start to well up in her eyes and attempted to swallow down her sadness.

"Dina, I'm home!" Dina quickly stood up and met with her twin at the door.

"Hey, welcome back. I see you have no escort with you tonight."

"Nah," Nina said sadly, "Don had to work an emergency shift." Now that Nina got a closer look at her sister, was she…crying? "Dina, did something happen?"

"Well…Mortimer proposed, for one"-

"That's great!" Nina exclaimed, "You're finally getting over Michael!"

"But I don't know if I want to do this…" Nina stood back in surprise.

"What are you talking about? This is your opportunity!"

"Yeah, what kind of opportunity exactly is the question?" Dina walked away, slumping in each step. "He's filthy rich and I'm able to get a better look at his manor, but it's going to ruin everything! People may start questioning it to the point where"-

"You're _still _trying to find dirt on him?" Nina groaned, "Dina, face it! The man's clean! He had a family of two children and a wife and he loved them all and he still does! Despite the rumors, there's nothing suspicious about him. Tell me, Dina, did you learn anything during the past three years while getting close to him?"

"No…but I don't wanna take any chances." Nina shook her head pitifully.

"Fine! Then just call off the good relationship you had why don't you? Your paranoia gets the best of you sometimes, I swear! I'm going to bed." Dina was ready to retort something back, but Nina pulled her into a quick hug.

"At least think about this more." Dina's eyes followed Nina as she headed up the stairs. She wanted to say something but…she couldn't.

Something flashed in her mind-no, it pulsed madly.

_** And they didn't bother to cover the hole she laid inside. Why should such a beautiful girl's body be tainted in such a manner?**_

Dina smacked the side of her forehead and grunted as she opened her eyes in reality. _'What…was that?' _She shook her head and eagerly followed Nina. _'I think I need to sleep… I had a long day.'_


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome to Pleasantview**

**Chapter 3**

_ There came a day when I couldn't take it anymore._

_ We sat across from each other alone in the kitchen for once. She sat in one chair, I sat in the other reverting my eyes away from hers. Usually, this meant that she felt the need to bring up an uncomfortable discussion much to my discretion. _

_ "Dina, honey," my mother sighed, "I still don't understand why you can't be more like your sister and get a boyfriend like Don Lothario. Look at her! She's happy!"_

_ "Why do you care so much? Why does it matter whether I have a boyfriend or not?" I asked. My mother was speechless. "Is it because she has one now so therefore I have to get one?" _

_ "Well, I just"-_

_ "You know what? Don't bother asking- I already know the answer." Before I could run away, Mom grabbed my arm._

_ "Dina, you're being unreasonable! I don't expect you to be like Nina."_

_ "So you don't expect me to get good grades, a job and a husband?"_

_ "With that attitude, you won't get any of that!" I pulled out of her grip and stormed out of the house. I was frustrated. I wanted to cry. I ran as far as I could. I needed something or someone to tell me I was going to be okay-that I would do well in life even if I was different from other people. I found that person._

_ "Whoa, hey! What's wrong?"_

_ He noticed me slow down just before I passed him to wipe my eyes. I could tell he was older than me, but the difference in age didn't matter to him. Since I was in distress momentarily, I needed to be cheered up. He patted my shoulder gently._

_ "Hey, look, it's alright! Don't cry. You'll ruin that pretty face of yours." I couldn't help but smile when he said this and he did the same. "Come here. Let's sit down." Then I confided in him in which his responses told me everything I wanted to hear-everything I believed from what was a moment ago a complete stranger._

_ "So, what's your name?" he asked me._

_ "My name is Dina Caliente," I told him, "Who are you?"_

_ "I'm Michael Bachelor. It's nice to meet you." We shook hands. I couldn't help but feel I heard the name "Bachelor" somewhere, but I put it out of my mind until it was revealed to me later on. Even if I did know earlier, I would grow to love him regardless. Who cared if he was the brother of Bella Goth, husband to Mortimer Goth?_

…

Angela and Lilith exchanged glances. Dirk couldn't make out whether it was a look of disgust or confusion of some sort.

"Your dad?" they asked simultaneously. Dirk jabbed the fork at his turkey slice and stuffed it in his mouth and swallowed before speaking again.

"What do you think about it?" The twins looked at each other the same way again.

It was lunchtime in the school cafeteria. Angela, Lilith and Dirk were sitting together at a table that they assumed would be the quietest in the corner away from the chatter. Angela and Lilith put down their forks.

"Dirk, no offense, but," she paused when she saw her sister roll her eyes, "I don't think that would work." Dirk sat up in his chair and unconsciously played with his food.

"Well, why not? I don't see any problems with it." Angela sighed and shook her head as if pitying him.

"Look, I don't know where you've been all this time, but Beau isn't the kid you think he is, whatever it is you have in mind," said Angela, "He's just a bully and a whiny, dependant little troll."

"He isn't any of that! He's just…having a hard time connecting with others socially." It sounded more like a question to Angela, who gave him a victorious smile.

"Why do you care about him so much all of a sudden anyway?" asked Lilith, "There's nothing special about him. He's like every other snot nosed brat in the universe."

"But he acts out for a reason, doesn't he? Beau just…needs someone. His dad died and his brother is," he looked away from Angela, "Gone-it's just him, his mother and his little brother." He took a deep breath and continued more confidently, "He's only eight years old. He'll change!"

"Oh, please! He's still an inconsiderate"-

"Aren't you just saying that because"- Someone knocked on the glass. Everyone's head turned towards the window. There Beau was, waving to Dirk.

As if on cue, Beau entered the cafeteria and walked over to where Dirk sat. Dirk turned himself away from the girls and towards the younger child.

"Mom wanted me thank you again for last night," said Beau.

"It was no problem, really!"

"Do you think you'll be able to come over again soon?"

"Yeah, I can make it tonight, actually."

The twins edged towards each other and farther away from the table.

"Ange, do you see this?"

"Yeah, I don't get it either," Angela whispered back. Lilith resisted to slamming her fist down on the table.

"I mean…he's blowing me off for a kid! A goddamn kid!" Angela rested the side of her face on the palm of her hand and looked back at the boys talking together.

"Wanna come over my house this time? I'll ask Dad-if it's fine with your mom." Beau nodded.

"She wouldn't mind. I'll talk to her later." Angela turned her head back towards Lilith.

"He's probably gonna do this a lot, you know." Lilith placed her elbows on the table and lowered her head.

"You're just saying that because that's what happened with you and Dustin." Angela did her best not to reply to that. "Besides, those two aren't related last time I checked. I mean, he's nowhere near adorable and he's so freaking clingy and needy! At least _I_ actually care about him! _I'm_ the one he's dating!"

"Well, the way things are going with them, you'll have to catch Dirk in the morning. This has to be settled." They momentarily refocused their attention on Dirk and Beau. They were giggling together, hugging and then Beau left the cafeteria again. "He'll come to his senses…I hope."

…

"Mom! Mom! Look!" Jennifer uncrossed her legs. Just before she could get up, Lucy had already ran over to her and pulled out a report card. Judging by the grin on her daughter's face, she seemed to be doing extremely well, for once. "Mom! Mom, look!"

Jennifer took the report card and read it aloud. "Let's see… Social Studies-B+, Science-B-, Math-B, English-A…" She quickly glanced at the comments and grabbed her daughter's hands. "I'm very proud of you, Lucy!" She stood up and wrapped her arms around the younger one. "See what happens when you spend less time playing with Alex?" Lucy nodded.

"He helped me study a lot, actually." The front door opened. All eyes reverted to the once missing John Burb.

"Dad!" Lucy tore away from Jennifer and kissed his cheek and handed him the report card.

"Well, this is a nice surprise to come home to," John said as he skimmed the grades. He handed the paper back to Lucy and looked back at Jennifer.

"You're back early?" she asked.

"No, I'm on my break." John leaned closer to Jennifer and whispered loud enough for Lucy to hear. "And we need to talk." Jennifer held her daughter's arm.

"Can you go play outside for now, Lucy? Maybe you'll see Alex." Lucy quickly turned her head back to her father and shrugged. It was best not to ask questions.

"…Okay." The parents waited until Lucy had left the kitchen. Jennifer crossed her arms.

"How much longer are you out for? You've been kept at the headquarters longer than usual lately and that bothers me." John straightened his tie and fixed his officer badge nervously.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, but there's been this investigation going on."

"Investigation?" Jennifer repeated.

"That's…what I wanted to talk to you about." John reached into his pocket and flipped over a couple of pictures.

One picture was an aerial view of a patch of forest, but where was it? "This was taken recently from one of the helicopters," said John, pointing to a couple of areas on the photo, "I wonder why nobody has ever seen this before." There was a couple of large metal pieces-machinery, possibly. He pointed to the same areas on the next two photos. What did this mean?

"So…what do the other guys think are in those trees?" asked Jennifer, "Where was this?"

"It was taken in Pleasantview. We haven't gone deep into the forest yet. We're positive that there are chunks of metal lying around, but from what? We're trying to do more research before we go in there." Jennifer kissed John lightly on the lips and backed away.

"Alright, do whatever, but all I ask is that you come home safely." John was ready to say something, but his walkie talkie beeped.

"I better get going… I'll see you later!" He burst out of the entrance and ran for the car, not even noticing Lucy standing against the wall next to the glass door.

…

"Absolutely not." Dirk frowned. What was wrong with his father? It was unnecessary to be so serious about this.

"Oh come on, Dad! You're being totally unreasonable!" It was the afternoon. Dirk had just gotten home from school and noticed Darren had just gone down the stairs, so why not take the opportunity to ask him now? Of course, he didn't expect this kind of reaction. Dirk grunted.

"Just this one time! It's easier for me so I can do my homework. You're not gonna see anybody on your own, so at least if I bring someone here other than Lilith, it's better for you."

"Why can't you just bring your homework with you?" Why was he missing the point? He headed back up the stairs. "I don't have time to deal with noisy kids. I got work to do-paintings to paint-bills to pay! I can't concentrate if you guys are going to make a racket." Dirk sighed aloud and went to pick up the phone.

_'I guess Beau will have to be disappointed.'_ He stopped walking. Why couldn't he move? He closed his eyes just to blink…

**A man who has lost luck twice is bound to lose three times. What's the point in trying anymore? Just leave him lying there… against the floor.**

He reopened his eyes. He was able to move again.

_'What just happened? Maybe I'm thinking about this too much. I don't even remember why I'm doing this in the first place…'_ He ran a hand through his hair. _'And why was he lying by his easel? What happened?' _Wait a minute, wasn't the easel upstairs? Could Darren have done something while he was gone? The thought sounded unrealistic, but what he saw in his mind…

Dirk ran up the stairs and peered over at Darren, who was continuing to do his work. How crazy must he be? Darren was obviously fine-physically-but he was okay.

_'Nothing's wrong here… He should've been flat against the wall right there. What was I seeing'-_

"Is something wrong?"

Dirk jumped in alarm and shook his head. "No, sorry! I just…never mind, I'm going back downstairs." And he did, finally picking up the phone. _'I think I'll have a change of plans…'_ He dialed the number and pressed the phone against his ear.

_"Hello?"_

"Dad says it's okay. Come over when you can." Yes, it was going against Darren's wishes, but it was for the best, right?

…

Alexander watched the fish roam beneath the surface of the fish tank, swimming about. Lucy had just left a few minutes ago just before the door opened. He guessed Lucy had forgotten something until he heard the clicking of heels against the floor. 'He's home early again?'

"Alexander, come here for a second." Mortimer seemed happier than usual. Dina… was more in a daze than usual. Had Mortimer's depression from the night before ended?

"I'm sure you remember Dina, right?" How could he forget? That girl was not only the object of Mortimer's affection, but an object that possessed Mortimer's mind. Why else would he neglect to be around the house anymore?

"Yeah, I do," he replied. Mortimer smiled sweetly at Dina and then Alexander, gently cupping Dina's hand into his own and held it for Alexander to see. He felt his knees weaken not at the shining gleam of the ring on Dina's finger, but the fact that it was there.

"From now own, Dina is going to be living with us!"

"Oh…"

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"So you're getting married to her?" The ring said it all. Alexander found himself forcing a smile. "Well, congratulations, Dad!" Mortimer let go of Dina's hand, but Alexander still couldn't take his eyes off that ring.

"Thank you, son-I'm sure you'll both get along just fine." Dina moved closer to Alexander, reaching her arms towards him.

"Mortimer and I were worried that you wouldn't like this very much, but I'm glad to see you look happy!" Alexander didn't move. Did they really consider his feelings other than their own? That was hard to believe. Then, he took Dina's embrace and quickly pulled away. What was done had been done. There was no point in denying it.

"Isn't this great?" Alex nodded and quickly stormed back into the living room. He couldn't help but feel sicklier than before. _'Great…right…'_

…

Nina Caliente had slipped off her own top in front of Don at the doorway of his bedroom and then her pants, throwing them both to the side. Don was lounged on the bed, studying every movement his girlfriend made-even the simple swaying of her long red hair when she threw it forward and back while undressing and gently placed each article on the floor. She practically glided over to the bed side where Don pulled her close, kissed and reeled Nina onto the bed.

"You know," he said, "We could just take it to the hot tub…" Nina slapped Don's arm playfully.

"Don't be stupid," she giggled, "Besides, I didn't bring my bathing suit this time. I don't feel like getting wet today." Don pressed Nina against the covers and hovered over her.

"I think I can change your mind…" He lowered his head oh so slightly and adjusted his legs…

Until he heard the phone ring a floor below. Don stayed completely still until it was over. He prepared to move again, but the ringing started up once more.

"Are you gonna take the call, Don?" asked Nina. The ringing stopped and then persisted on. Don rolled off of Nina and onto the floor.

"I guess I have to. I'll be right back." He left the bedroom and looked back at Nina. "I won't be long, so hang in there." He picked up the phone hastily.

_"Dr. Lothario?"_

"You better come up with a good reason to call right now. I was busy!"

_"Busy? With anyone?"_ Don huffed.

"Why does that matter? You don't know her."

_"Well, I wasn't asking about that, but alright…"_ Don ignored the remark.

"Anyway, what's going on?"

_"The investigation team is here. They want to ask you questions."_ Don immediately understood.

"They're still going on about _that_?"

_ "I'm afraid so. I don't know why they're bringing it up now of all times."_

"But why did they do that? Did they find something?"

_ "Yeah-something in the forest."_

"Oh that thing? Wasn't that a couple of weeks ago? They wanted the records on injuries or anything, right?"

_ "Yes, but they plan to go in deeper soon and they just want to double check with us."_

"But what does that have to do with me again?"

_ "Apparently, they're linking that with __**your**__ case."_ Don clenched his hand into a tight fist.

"Now come on! I think that's going way too far!"

_ "It does make sense, though, seeing as what happened that night"-_

"For the last time, that wasn't my fault!" He released his grip and smacked his forehead, not even caring if Nina could hear from a floor above.

_"I wasn't saying it's your fault. I think it's crazy, too. They also think that you have something to do with the other case."_

"I'm just a doctor-nothing more!" Don yelled, "What would I have to do with_ that_ story?"

_ "I don't know, honestly. That's just what they're saying."_ Don pressed the side of his head against the wall.

"Look, they can search the house again all they want to, but I don't have ANYTHING to give them. Do I really have to go in?"

_"It's best that you do."_

"Then…I guess I'll see you in a bit." He hung up just as Nina walked down the stairs.

"Is something wrong, honey?"

"Yeah, I gotta get going. I'm needed at the hospital. I'll walk you home before I leave." Nina got dressed and waited for Don by the door, where they both left together.

…

"You did WHAT?" Darren twitched slightly and then cleared his throat. "Didn't I tell you I don't want the kids here?"

"Yeah, but they're going to be here soon. We can't just leave them outside," said Dirk. The doorbell rang. Dirk went to open the door. "You don't even have to do anything. Just let them in and go back upstairs." Darren had no choice but to give in. He might as well open the door himself.

"Sorry for the wait," he apologized, letting Beau step inside, "Come on in. Just make sure you-" She stood across him, holding a baby boy no younger than the age of one in her arms. Her unfamiliar hazel eyes were locked onto his and she smiled. He had never met this woman before, but already he felt a very similar rush that was almost like…

"Hey, there you are!" said Dirk, leading Beau to where the TV was. "I got the game to work. Let's play it!" Brandi followed and handed Dylan to him.

"Thank you again! Dylan should be ready for bed soon, by the way." Brandi walked back outside where Darren still stood.

"So you're Darren?" she asked, "I don't think we've met before."

"No, I don't think so. How long have you been in Pleasantview?"

"I've been here all my life, actually."

"How could I have not seen you before then?"

"I live all the way on the other side of town. Maybe that's why," she said. Darren cocked his head to the side.

"You didn't walk all the way here, did you?" Brandi laughed.

"No, I was driven here by a friend."

"Well, that's a relief." The car honked and Brandi turned towards it.

"She's waiting for me now. I better get going." She walked down the stairs and waved back to Darren. "It was nice meeting you, Darren! I'll come back to pick up the kids later!" Darren headed back inside once Brandi had been driven away. Maybe…it wouldn't be so bad to have company, for once.

…

Alexander put on his pajamas and sat on the floor next to the doll house. Thinking about it, he hadn't played with it in a long time. He could have just gotten a book, but he didn't feel like leaving the room for a moment-not while he knew they were down stairs together.

Did Dina even want to marry his father? He preferred she didn't, but he had to wonder. The rise in Mortimer's mood compared to the day before had exceeded greatly and Lucy had been right. It did have to do with Dina. The night before, did she reject him? What would change her mind so quickly? Alexander took a doll in one hand and another in the left.

"Michael Bachelor," he whispered to the one on the left. He didn't know much about him except he had passed away around the time Bella had disappeared. Apparently, he and Dina were married. That must have been before she moved to Pleasantview. He didn't even know her existence until Michael died. "Dina Caliente" became the doll on the right.

He wouldn't have known anything about Dina and Michael together if he hadn't done the research itself. It was also through that research that the rumors he heard at one point made him believe that Dina could possibly be a gold digger due to Michael's age (and it further proved it considering Mortimer was now older than Michael than when he died), but if that were the case, why would she reject Mortimer at first? He put down "Michael Bachelor" and picked up a different doll-"Mortimer Goth".

Maybe it was because she realized it was odd to marry her once brother-in-law? Then again, they dated for a few years, so that didn't add up. There was also the possibility of…

Alexander paused. That was it! It had to be! He then looked at both dolls and put them both down. It was hard to determine the outcome at the moment, but he was sure that he had gotten a good hold of the idea.


End file.
